Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/21/children-ruin-christmas
Photo courtesy of The Guardian
We all know the big fat jolly man and the memorable “ho, ho, ho” from the one and only Santa Claus. He is adored by many young children and has become the figure for Christmas. Kids rouse themselves early in the morning to possibly see Santa lay those gifts out for families and his iconic and magical sleigh. However, many have debated whether Santa has been a symbol of generosity and kindness or greed and materialism for years. Has Santa become a fraud and only a model for greed to children? Now that Christmas has passed, let’s discuss.
Santa represents less generosity, and the myth of him has made people believe he is the cause of children’s selfishness and sometimes even rapaciousness. For Christians, many will understand that Christmas is known for the birth of Jesus Christ. For those not religious, Christmas is widely known as “the most wonderful time of the year” when families can unite and strengthen relationships. During this holiday, kids ask for various things such as toys, clothes, devices, etc. Behind the mask of Santa are the parents, who sometimes can’t afford to buy or find their children the gifts they want.
There are videos all over social media platforms about spoiled kids throwing a tantrum over not getting the present they wanted. Many people say it’s all thanks to Santa since the kids had given him their trust to get them the things they wanted. In Amy Joyce’s “Does Santa Make Our Kids Selfish?”, she states, “If you’re like me, you probably want this time of year to be one of giving, simple family traditions and generosity. (Right?) But what actually happens much of the time is kids just want more, and expect lots. … In fact, 64 percent of parents, they found, believe Santa traditions instill greed and selfishness in children. But only 27 percent of parents talk about giving more than getting.” According to this article by Amy Joyce, the myth about Santa’s existence has made kids greedy as they believe that Santa can bring them gifts for free and just do it because he’s Santa.
To most people, the Christmas holiday is about generosity and quality time with family. So, the existence of Santa is quite confusing to many people since he has nothing to do with teaching children about generosity. The same goes for the Easter Bunny–are they irrelevant to the holiday? So, due to this, many ask the question: should kids believe in something that is only detrimental to their personality and behavior?
However, many people debate that Santa is not as bad as he looks. In Sara Matthews’ “Why Santa is a good role model for children?”, she states, “Santa has a positive influence on children to behave. A child’s bad behavior is frowned upon by Santa, so he encourages kids to be good in order to receive presents. Children believe that if they are not well behaved, they will receive coal instead of presents.” This is well-known that when a child misbehaves throughout the entire season, they will be put on Santa’s naughty list and receive coal as their presents. This fear of not getting something they desire makes kids behave better to obtain a little treat or prize for maintaining good behavior. However, studies have shown that this idea of coal has rarely worked.
Nevertheless, Santa, according to The Conversation, “…provides opportunities for shared belief and play, reliving and sharing childhood memories, and encouraging empathy, kindness and generosity. Believing in Santa Claus can also benefit children’s development as an avenue for creativity, imagination, and play.” A point like this makes things more complicated for parents to debate. Even though Santa might not be the best look to improve attitudes in children, should kids still have something to believe in to develop imagination potentially?
Overall, this debate about Santa demonstrating a lousy character to children is complicated. But everyone has a different opinion and view of Santa. Some parents may say that Santa has positively influenced their children’s generosity, and some may say that Santa has just led to their children being greedy. It all depends on the myth of the big fat jolly man who may or may not demonstrate good character toward children who do not have the same mentality as a teenager or adult. Many have believed in Santa in the past, no doubt. But as we grow older, we begin to outgrow Santa and understand the true meaning of Christmas. It also depends on the parents, by using the myth of Santa, they also have the responsibility to make sure that Santa is a good role model to their children so that, eventually, they won’t be so shocked that Santa doesn’t exist once they learn that Santa has nothing to do with Christmas since they will already understand that the moral of Christmas is to give.
In conclusion, let’s go back to the question: has Santa become a fraud and only a model for greed to children? The answer to that is yes and no. While Santa might be more of a model for greed to toddlers and kids, he’s also not wrong for who he is. He is a magical and influential person for creativity. However, Santa can be debated for a long time, and we may still not find the final answer to declare whether he is good or bad.